A daughter of a fallen soldier of Russia's Wagner mercenary group stands in front of a makeshift memorial in Moscow during a Aug. 4 commemoration ceremony held to pay tribute to Wagner fighters, who were recently killed in Mali by northern Tuareg rebels.Yulia Morozova/Reuters
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met senior leaders in three African countries this week, offering grain shipments for drought-stricken economies in Zambia and Malawi. But his government suffered a setback in West Africa, where two Russian allies announced a complete severing of their relations with Ukraine.
The struggle for diplomatic and military influence in Africa began soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Moscow managed to persuade dozens of African countries to refrain from condemning the invasion or joining the Western sanctions against it.
Since then, the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have travelled repeatedly to Africa, seeking support from governments whose votes at the United Nations can sometimes spell the difference between success or failure for the diplomatic efforts of the two countries.
The latest tensions were sparked by reports of Ukrainian aid to Russia’s military enemies in Africa, most recently in West Africa, where coup leaders in several countries have recruited Russian troops to fight rebel militias.
The reports of Ukrainian involvement are unproven. But a Ukrainian official has hinted openly that his country provided assistance to the separatist rebels who killed dozens of Russian military contractors in a battle in northern Mali last month.
The rebels said they killed 84 soldiers from the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group – a death toll that would make it Russia’s bloodiest defeat in Africa. The Wagner Group has acknowledged that it suffered heavy losses in Mali, and mourners have placed flowers at a memorial in Moscow for the dead troops.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, Andriy Yusov, told a Ukrainian national television channel that the rebels had received “the necessary information” to launch the attack on the Russian soldiers. He did not say who supplied the information and refused to give further details, but it was a clear signal that Ukraine was claiming a role in the attack.
Mali and Niger, whose military regimes are strong allies of Moscow, swiftly announced the termination of their relations with Ukraine “with immediate effect” this week. Both countries have substantial contingents of Russian troops on their territory as a result of recent agreements with Moscow.
The dispute spread to a neighbouring country, Senegal, when a Ukrainian diplomat posted a video of Mr. Yusov’s comments on social media. The Senegalese government summoned the diplomat and rebuked him.
In response to Mali’s severing of relations, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called it a hasty decision and complained that Mali had failed to provide evidence of Ukrainian involvement in the rebel attack. It has not yet commented on Niger’s decision.
The Russian government, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of opening a “second front in Africa” after failing to defeat Russia on the Ukrainian battlefield. It also accused Ukraine of supporting terrorist groups in Russian-allied countries such as Mali.
Ukrainian military involvement in Africa has been often reported, although never officially confirmed. Last year, there were widespread reports that Ukraine had deployed a unit of soldiers in Khartoum to join the fight against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary force, which is perceived to be pro-Russia. But later there were signs that Russia has links to both sides of the Sudan war – it recently forged an agreement with the RSF’s enemy, the Sudanese military.
Russia has greatly expanded its military presence in African countries in recent years. In addition to Mali and Niger, it is now providing troops to Central African Republic and Burkina Faso.
In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, hundreds of protesters waved Russian flags in anti-government demonstrations this month, although the Russian government denied any involvement.
Ukraine has been scrambling to respond to the rise in African support for Moscow. Last year, Mr. Kuleba acknowledged that Ukraine had failed to give “proper attention” to Africa in the past. In an effort to catch up to Moscow, he has visited Africa on four separate tours over the past two years, opening new Ukrainian embassies in several countries.